(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) New documents show that Special Counsel Jack Smith obtained sensitive payroll data from one of the most prominent conservative organizations in the country, the Conservative Partnership Institute.
CPI became the subject of Smith’s aggressive crackdown of President Donald Trump seemingly in part because of its proximity to Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff and Cleta Mitchell, a legal scholar and election law expert.
The new files, obtained by the Senate Judiciary Committee and released by journalist Catherine Herridge, indicate that Smith had access to CPI’s payroll information through its ADP system.
A Headline USA review of the redacted files found that the information included employees’ names, Social Security numbers, tax withholdings and health care benefits.
It remains unclear why Smith’s team obtained the files or how the information was used, but their contents raise serious questions about the broad scope of the investigation and whether such files were even necessary for the probe.
A separate file also seemed to show that Smith seized a summary of CPI’s bank account activity with Capital One from March 26 to March 31, 2021.
The file included CPI’s bank account number, the number of deposits and withdrawals for the six days, the remaining balance and the account’s maintenance fees. The specific amounts and other sensitive information were redacted from the documents released to the public.
EXCLUSIVE: New whistleblower reporting via @ChuckGrassley reveals that personal payroll data for the Conservative Partnership Institute (CPI) was collected by Jack Smith’s team.
The financial data included CPI employees’ medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage, along with… pic.twitter.com/KukaGwRu0Z
— Catherine Herridge (@C__Herridge) October 16, 2026
The extraordinary records add to a growing list of evidence exposing that Smith’s investigation swept up sensitive information extending beyond Trump.
The Senate Judiciary Committee revealed in 2025 that at least 430 Republican and conservative individuals and entities were targeted by subpoenas issued by Smith’s team as part of what lawmakers have decried as a “fishing expedition.” Even lawmakers had their phone records secretly subpoenaed as part of the investigation.
Most recently, the Republican-led committee revealed that Smith also got his hands on communications involving White House officials and journalists, including some of the most prominent voices on the political right.
Headline USA has reached out to CPI for comment.
For his part, Smith has denied any wrongdoing. In several congressional hearings, Smith claimed that his probe followed standard investigative procedures and adhered to DOJ protocols, though the growing list of damning evidence suggests otherwise.
His investigation and subsequent prosecution of Trump are now under probe by the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers across multiple congressional committees.
